After the closing events of the story, just before the end credits begin, an enigmatic shot of Aeris is shown, more or less identical to the first shot of her at the very beginning of the game.
After the game's closing credits, a brief cinematic is shown in which Red XIII and two of his offspring run to the top of a cliff, where the remains of Midgar can be seen covered in vegetation. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005) opens with this same scene, revealing it to be set 500 years after the events of the game.